The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-10-12
THE AvoYElLEs CASE,
Attempted Theft Of a Parish by the Re.
formers,
New Orleans Times-Democrat.

New Orleans Times Democrat
cooler, more deliberate purpose to nullify
the will Of the people. and to steal their
franchises, was never attempted than the
effort in this direction made by the ''re-
formers" of Avoyelles. The TIMEs-DEMocRAT
has heretofore commented on the action on
that occasion of Mr.. Barbin, the chairman
OF the Democratic Executive Committee, and
a pronounced Nichols man, whose arbitrary
ruling WAS promptly met by the determined
action of the large majority of the conven-
ton. This majority, duly elected at the
primaries held in the various wards of the
parish on thcpreceding Saturday, supported
Col. j. Il. Thorpe for Congress. They or
gained a convention with So delegates, a
clear majority Of Is of the 90 delegates
chosen to the parish convention. by the PEG.
slonal convention.
After these delegates refused to submit to
the dlctetion of the minority, aided and
abetted by Judge BarbiD that minority, con-
slstlng OF thlrty;seven regularly elected dele
gates, organized arnmp,, set, up contesting
delegations from the Borodino and Ever
green wards, seated the contestants and al
lowed one OF the regularly elected delegates
from Chouplque, who betrayed his fellow
delegates, to cast the ten votes Of the ward,
went through the farce of electing delegates
to the Congressional convention.
That the whole matter may be fully under
stood, The Times DEMOCRAT furnishes here
with brief review of the primaries in the
wards of Avoyelles parish in which Thorpe
delegates were elected.
!, In Moreauville, electing seven delegates,
there was no opposition ticket, the Thorpe
delegates receiving the entire vote cast.
nj, In Bayou Rouge Prairie, Zone delegate,. the
'lhnrpn pIya% <t,n ,fx, IN I, ynJl
receiving the unanimous vote.
In Island four lelegates), the Thorpe
ticket was elected without opposition.
In Borodino three delsgates).. two tickets
were III the field. The Thorpe ticket carried
missloners. A contest was raised on the
ground that nine voters had been refused the
right to vote. The contest was baseless. from
the fact that the proposed voters did not live
IN the precinct and were refused on that
In Simsport lseven delegates), the Thorpe
ticket was elected without opposition.
In Choupique 30 delegates), the Thorpe
ticket Was the only one in the field, and re-
celved unanimous vote. There was no con-
ts h cont" nh aeff hs en voss
Choupique were absolutely necessary to the
''reformers, and they set up tictl .ious
contest, without giving any reasons therefor
"a contest made by mai who was not even
a
contesti2g delegates to back it; They sue
ceedcd in getting one Of tie regularly elected
delegates-Tancred Mayeux--to desert his
co-delcgates and join their rnmp. Their own
committee on credentials decided that The
seated Mayenx, and allowed him to cast the
entire ten votes Of the ward Thus was So
called quorum selected, and thus was re
fo:mn indicated.
:. In Bordelonvilie (e delegates>, the Thorpe
ticket was the only one in the field, and re-
ceived the entire vote cast
In Black Box a delegates), the Thorpe
ticket received the unanimous vote: no OPP
position.
In Hamburg e lelegates). the Thorpe
ticket also received the unanimous vote: no
opposition.
In Evergreen Il delegates), another of the
contested boxes, the ''refolmers' claim that
they held little election of their own-a side
Show as it were: No one but the select few
"a they let into their secret was aware OF it.
there are 40 Democratic votes altogether
in the precinct. At the regular box "a of
these voters appeared and cast their votes for
the Thorpe delegates: no other votes were
put III the box. The Thorpe delegates re-
ftselved, therefore, clear majority OF l9 OF
In Cottonport five .deegates), the re-
form" commissioners deliberately closed the
polls in the faces of a number OF voters who
desied to, deposit Thorpe ballots, and re-
lltStu GO give tncln Ill opportunity 10 NOte
The polls were closed long before the accuR-
toned hour, and the Thorpe delegates con-
tested the box on this ground.
Leaving the Cottonport precinct out of the
calculation, the Thorpe delegates had so of
the 92 entitled to sit in the parish conven-
ton, or q clear majority of s. Including
Cottonport, their majority was 18. When
they refused to submit to the UNJUST unpar-
liamentary and tyrannical rulings of Judge
Barbin, and Withdrew to organize elsewhere,
they LETT behind Including Mayeux, of Chou
pique, and the Cottonport deiegation) only
3s delegates who had any sort of creden tiaIs
worth moments consideration. 1t required
~ votes 10 constitute q quorum; but this
fact did not stand in the way Of the re
formers"
Gen. Nichols had been in the parish
speaking at Marl.syille and Cottonport--
they hsd promised to deliver it to hun bya
vote Of four to one. They had utterly failed
TO deliver the yOte-had in fact been com
pletely routed-but they determined to de-
liver something. SO they set their heads to;
ge.heE, crooked up q lot Of contests, voted
the Choupique delegation Of ten, nine OF
whom had contemptuously refused to have
anything to do with the rump, and then pro-
ceeded to choose a congressional delegation.
Such ia reform in AyOyelles